Device for producing a continuous tobacco rod of uniform cross section



May 2, 1967 w. RICHTER 3,316,917

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION Original Filed Nov. 16, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 WY 1 mM Rm R 2 A rV: h M S I BMH May 2, 1%? w. RICHTER 3,316,917

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION Original Filed Nov. 16, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hi5 A TTORNEV May 2, 1967 w. RICHTER 3,316,917

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION Original Filed Nov. 16, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR His A TTOPNE May 2, 1967 w. RICHTER DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO RO 0F UNIFORM CROSS SECTION 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Nov. 16,

a wm INVEN TOR May 2, 1967 w. RICHTER 3,316,917

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION Original Filed Nov. 16, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 //v vE/y TOP His A TTOPNEY United States Patent 3,316,917 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS TO- BACCO ROD OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION Willy Richter, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany, assignor to Hauni-Werlre Korber & Co. K.G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Original application Nov.

vided and this application May 23, 1961, Ser. No. 112,076 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 21, 1953, H 34,865 9 Claims. (Cl. 131-84) This is a division of application Ser. No. 853,273, filed on November 16, 1959, now abandoned.

The invention relates to the manufacture of tobacco products and particularly to the manufacture of cigarettes.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a tobacco rod of uniform cross section and, if desired, of uniform density. The presently employed methods of forming a tobacco rod are not completely satisfactory, because the tobacco rod is not always of desired density over its entire length. The difficulties concerned are due less to the organic nature of the tobacco and to its often varying physical properties than to influences which occur in the conventional types of cigarette making machines, in which in practice at each transfer of the tobacco from one conveyor means to the other the tobacco is subjected to conditions which interfere disadvantageously with the formation of a stream of tobacco having the desired structure and in some cases affect the coherence of the tobacco layer which has already been formed. For example, when a tobacco fleece is removed from a carding roller the fibers may be torn apart to a considerable extent so that the structure of the layer is substantially altered or the fleece-like form is destroyed before it is fed to the rod-forming parts ofthe device.

With these considerations in mind the present invention provides means for separating a continuous layer of tobacco by suction from a thickertobacco stream which travels in an endless path, and forming a tobacco rod from said separated continuous layer.

The separation of the tobacco from the nonuniform tobacco stream may be effect by means of a rotary forming wheel rotating in peripheral contact with the tobacco stream and exerting a suction action on the tobacco stream so as to pick up the required quantity of tobacco from said non-uniform tobacco stream.

The principal features of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show four suitable forms of devices for carrying out the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically a side elevation view of an apparatus according to the invention in which a rotating trimming brush is arranged adjacent the pe riphery of a rotary suction disc for trimming excess tobacco from the tobacco stream in the groove of the rotary suction conveyor disc;

FIG. 2 is a partial section of the apparatus along the line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial view of a modified apparatus in 16, 1959, Ser. No. 853,273. Dig which the rotating trimming brush shown in FIG. 1 is replaced by a rotary circular knife;

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention in which a different tobacco distributor is used;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates in a partial sectional view the arrangement of a pressure roller for compressing the tobacco stream in the circumferential groove of the suction disc;

Patented May 2, 1967 FIG. 7 illustrates a fragmentary view of the suction conveyor disc with a pressure member engaging the tobacco stream in the suction groove;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, except that the pressure member is replaced by a rotary trimming roller;

FIGS. 9 and 10 show details of the driving means for the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and

FIG. 11 illustrates a top view of a. portion of the circumference of the conveyor disc whose circumferential groove is provided with Wider portions for producing cigarettes with compacted end portions.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 employs an endless substantially horizontal travelling conveyor belt 3 for the tobacco to be formed into a tobacco rod. This endless conveyor belt 3 is supported in the machine frame 1 by means of horizontal guide rollers 2, 2a. The tobacco is deposited in the form of a shower on the upper stretch of the conveyor 3 by the discharge member 4 of a tobacco distributor or feeder of conventional construction so as to form on the conveyor belt 3 a continuous travelling mass or fleece of tobacco 5 the thickness or cross-section of which is substantially greater than the cross-section of the tobacco rod to be formed. Preferably there may be provided along each side of the travelling belt 3 guide rails which keep the Width of the tobacco stream within the desired limits so that the tobacco stream is in a form approaching that of a tobacco rod.

A conveyor here shown as a rotating forming wheel 13 with a groove 16 in its circumference rotates in a vertical plane with a horizontal driven shaft 42 above the roller 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the wheel 13 consists of two axially spaced circular discs 13a, 1312 held in spaced relation by spacer members 14. A circular porous or airpermeable tape 15 is clamped or otherwise secured between the discs 13a, 13b and is arranged concentric to the shaft 42 thereof and forms the bottom wall of a groove 16 the side walls of which are formed by the two discs 13a and 13b. The cross-section ofthe groove 16 is only slightly greater than the cross-section of the desired tobacco rod. The hollow space formed within the circular tape 15 and the two discs 13a and 13b includes a stationary suction chamber I'Bformed between two stationary radial walls 17, 17a (FIG. 1), and also a compressed air chamber 19 formed between the radial walls 17a and 17 or over a part of this zone. The suction in the chamber 18 or the air pressure in the chamber 19 will be operative in the circular groove 16. Near the roller 2 is arranged a rotating trimming brush 20 which is positioned adjacent the periphery of the forming wheel 13 for levelling or equalizing the surface of the tobbaco stream which has been transferred to the groove 16. The tobacco stream leaves the groove 16 of the wheel 13 after the latterhas rotated about degrees, from the point where the tobacco has entered the groove 16. At the discharge point compressed air enters the groove 16 from the chamber 19 and at this point the tobacco meets a strip of wrapper material here shown as cigarette paper P which is fed to the top stretch of a further conveyor in the form of an endless rod. forming belt 22 on which the tobacco enters a guide 2 1 leading into a cigarette rod forming device of conventional type. An endless conveyor in the form of a presser belt 25 and a bridge member 26 may be provided to assist in transferring the pre-formed tobacco stream to the rod formin g belt 22.

The part of the tobacco not picked up by suction by the wheel 13 continues to travel in an endless path with the conveyor belt 3 and is held against the lower side of the belt 3 by an additional endless belt 12 threaded over a number of guide rollers 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 and is also supported by the flanges 6, 6a provided on the rollers 2, 2a.

The apparatus for practicing the invention operates as follows:

The tobacco which is showered from the discharge member 4 of the tobacco distributor onto the conveyor belt 3 forms on the latter a continuous stream or fleece 5, the cross-section of which is substantially greater than that of the desired tobacco rod. This stream is conveyed in the direction towards the roller 2 by the conveyor belt 3 and above the roller 2 a portion of the tobacco stream, namely the top portion, is transfer-red to the groove 16 in the wheel 13 by suction created in the groove 16 by the suction chamber 18 which acts through the bottom of the groove 16 formed by the perforated tape 15. The remaining or lower portion of the tobacco stream passes over the roller 2 and is then conveyed back to the starting point of the endless conveyor belt 3 beneath the discharge member 4 and thereby being held between the lower stretch of the conveyor belt 3 and the upper stretch of the conveyor belt 12.

The rotary forming wheel 13 takes up so much tobacco from the conveyor belt 3 that not only the groove 16 is completely filled, but also a portion of the tobacco sucked off the stream 5 will project beyond the outer edges of the groove or the outer periphery of the forming wheel 13. The surface of the tobacco stream in the groove 16 is now levelled by the rotating trimming brush 20 or by similar devices, thus for example a rotating oircular cutter 20a as shown in FIG. 3. This circular cutter 20a is arranged .substantially at the transfer point of the tobacco where the latter enters the groove 16 in the wheel 13. The cutter 20a is fixedly mounted on the lower end of a vertical drive shaft 59. Whatever a-rrangement is adopted, a tobacco rod is formed in the groove 16 which has a pre-determined cross-section as shown in FIG. 2. As .soon as this tobacco rod carried by the rotating forming wheel 13 passes the outer end of the stationary radial wall 17a, the rod is forced out of the groove 16 by the air pressure existing in the compressed air chamber 19 and is guided into the guide element 21 above the cigarette rod forming belt 22. The groove 16 is at the same time cleared of any tobacco residues by means of compressed air passing outwardly from the compressed air chamber 19 through the perforated bottom 15 of the groove 16.

The tobacco removed by the rotating trimming brush 20 drops downwardly and is added to the returning portion of the tobacco stream 5 carried between the conveyor means including the endless conveyor belts 3 and 12 and again passes below the discharge end 4 of the tobacco distributor. The continuously travelling portion of the tobacco stream 5 forms a reserve and serves as a buffer which compensates for any irregularities in the tobacco stream discharged by the tobacco distributor, and simultaneously it ensures a certain degree of mixing of the tobacco particles.

It will be seen, however, that the tobacco distributor must be adjusted to supply the precise average quantity of tobacco required to form the desired rod so that the amount of tobacco remaining in circulation on the endless belt 3 and carried between said belt and the belt 12 remains at a substantially constant average value. Further, as a result of the manner in which the tobacco stream is formed in the groove 16 of the forming wheel 13 and the fact that the surface of the tobacco in the groove 16 of said wheel is trimmed or equalized by the rotating trimming brush 20, the tobacco stream which is carried forward by the forming wheel is of substantially uniform cross-section and density and consequently, the cigarettes produced from the cigarette rod formed by the cigarette rod-forming device are all of substantially uniform weight, in fact, of more uniform weight than when produced with the heretofore employed apparatus.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 4, there is continuous circulation of a tobacco stream 105 on an endless tobacco receiving belt 103 the lower stretch of which is trained around guide rollers 127 and 128 disposed at a .substantial distance above the upper stretch of the conveyor belt 112. In fact, the central portion of the lower stretch of the belt 103 is carried clear off the surface of the lower tobacco stream on the upper stretch of the conveyor belt 112 so that the tobacco can be showered by the discharge member 104 of the tobacco distributor onto the upper surface of the tobacco stream 105 on the upper stretch of the conveyor 112. As a result of this arrangement the tobacco discharged by the distributor is intimately mixed with the tobacco which is returned by the trimmer to the conveyor 112 so that the possibility of any of the tobacco particles remaining in continuous circulation in the stream 105 is avoided and a form of mixing action is obtained ensuring that every particle of tobacco received passes forward without undue delay onto the forming wheel 113 and toward the cigarette rod-forming device.

In the modified embodiment of FIG. 4 the conveyor belt 112 is trained around flanges 129 which are concentric with the guide rollers 127 for the conveyor belt 103 and around flanges 106a concentric with the guide roller 102a. The surface of the tobacco stream in the groove 116 of the wheel 113 is trimmed or levelled by means of the roating trimming brush in similar manner as described with reference to FIG. 1.

In accordance with certain requirements the tobacco stream 105 may be subjected to a compacting operation at the transfer point from the conveyor belt 103 to the forming wheel 113. This can be effected, for example, by reducing the space between the circumference of the forming wheel 113 and the roller 102. For the same purpose the suction or low pressure in the suction chamber 118 may be increased so that the tobacco transferred into the groove 116 will attain a more compact formation.

If the increase in suction in the suction chamber 118 is performed intermittently, the tobacco stream will assume a locally more compact formation at the transfer point from the conveyor belt 103 to the forming wheel 113, namely each time the increase in suction becomes effective so that it is possible to produce cigarettes which are more compact at one or both ends than in their centers.

In FIG. 4 the rotating trimming brush 120 is located at a point of the forming wheel 113 at which a compacted portion of the stream passes the trimming brush at the moment the suction is increased.

Alternatively, if it is desired to compact the tobacco stream at predetermined points, for example in the region of the ends of the cigarettes to be severed from the rod, the groove in the forming wheel can be enlarged at these predetermined points (see FIG. 11). Since at these points more tobacco is drawn, a tobacco stream is formed which produces a tobacco rod which contains more tobacco at predetermined points, and these points are later compacted and lie at the ends of the cigarettes to be formed from the tobacco stream.

The forming wheel 113 is not limited in its application to the devices just described but it can, for example, also be used for conveying and preforming a tobacco stream. As shown in FIG. 6, a roller 21a may enter the forming groove 16 and its distance a from the axis of the forming wheel 13 can be made adjustable in a known manner so that the tobacco stream located in the forming groove 16 is compressed to a desired degree.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a presser member 22a may be arranged in the region of the groove 16-. This pressure member has a guiding surface which is parallel to the perforated tape 15. The presser member 22a may be radially adjustable with respect to the forming wheel 13 for the purpose of compacting and/ or smoothing the tobacco stream in the groove 16.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 8, an additional tobacco trimming element 23 can be provided, for example a trimming roller, brush or the like, which is adjustable as regards its distance b from the axis of the forming wheel 13. The width of the element 23 corresponds to the profile of the groove 16. This element acts on the tobacco stream in the forming groove 16 in such a manner that its initial height H is reduced to a desired uniform height h. Obviously, the constructional form of the forming wheel 13 can be selected according to the intended purposes of application without departing from the basic inventive idea.

When employing the devices of the present invention a very uniform structure of the tobacco rod is obtained and, furthermore, an originally non-uniform tobacco stream is converted into a tobacco stream of uniform density and of predetermined cross section, which in some cases may be pre-compacted, and while maintaining this uniform structure the tobacco stream is fed to conventional cigarette rod-forming means in order to form a cigarette rod of uniform density and weight.

The driving means shown in the FIGS. 9 and 10 are described with reference to FIG. 1.

The roller 2 is driven directly by the shaft 31 con nected with the infinitely variable geared engine 30 (see FIG. 10). The roller 2a, mounted on the shaft 37 which also has a helical gear 36 mounted thereon, is driven by the helical gear 32 mounted on the shaft 31 (see FIG. 9), through the helical gear 33, the shaft 34 and the helical gear 35. l

The shaft 31 is journalled in housing walls G and G and a supporting block St. The shaft 34 is journalled in bearing bearing blocks L and L which are mounted on the base plate G.

The shaft 42, upon which the molding wheel 13 is mounted, is driven by the shaft 31 through the gear wheels 38, 39, 40 and 41 (FIG. 9). The gear wheel 39 is mounted on a shaft 43 which is journalled in the housing walls G and G The gear wheel 40 is mounted on a bearing pin 44 which is mounted in the housing wall G The shaft 42 is journalled in the housing Walls G and G and the supporting block St.

The rotating trimming brush 20 is driven by the shaft 43 through a helical gear 45 which is mounted on the shaft 43, a helical gear 46' (see FIG. 10), a shaft 47, a pair of bevel gears 51, 52, and a shaft 53 upon which the trimming brush 20 is mounted.

In FIG. 10 the rotating trimming brush 20 is not illustrated and the shaft 53 is shown broken away.

The shafts 47 and 50 are journalled in bearing blocks 54, 55, 56 shown in FIG. 9, which are mounted on the housing wall G For clearness of the drawing of FIG. 10 the bearing block 54 is not shown.

The shaft 53 is rotatably supported in the housing wall G (FIG. 10).

What I claim is:

1. In a tobacco rod forming machine, in combination, a first conveyor means arranged to deliver a continuous supply of tobacco; a second conveyor means having suction means associated therewith arranged to receive tobacco from said first conveyor means and defining an elongated path wherein the tobacco received from said first conveyor means forms a stream which moves length- Wise and which contains tobacco in excess of that required in the tobacco rod; trimming means adjacent to said elongated path for removing excess tobacco from said stream so as to form a filler rod; means for mechanically compacting the tobacco stream on said second conveyor means; and a third conveyor means arranged to receive said filler rod and to maintain it in said rod form and to advance it lengthwise from said second conveyor means to a rod forming station.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second conveyor means comprises a travelling air-permeable member extending along said path and means for creating a pressure differential at the opposite sides of said air-permeable member so that such pressure differential causes the tobacco stream to adhere to and to travel lengthwise along said air-permeable member.

3. In an apparatus for forming a tobacco rod, in com bination, conveyor means defining an endless path, means for feeding tobacco into said path to form an endless layer of tobacco which has an outer portion and an inner portion and travels with said conveyor means, continuously operating means for separating the outer portion of said layer to form a continuous tobacco stream, said separating means comprising a rotary transfer member and suction operated means therein, said transfer member having a groove into which the separated outer portion of the tobacco layer is moved and held therein by suction, and means for converting said stream into a continuous tobacco rod while the stream moves lengthwise.

4. In an apparatus for forming a tobacco rod, in combination, conveyor means defining an endless path, means for feeding tobacco into said path to form an endless layer of tobacco which has an outer portion and an inner portion and travels with said conveyor means, continuously operating means for separating the outer portion of said layer to form a continuous tobacco stream, said separating means comprisingly a continuously rotating peripherally grooved forming wheel, means for rotating said wheel in a vertical plane above said conveyor means and said tobacco layer thereon, said tobacco stream being moved by said wheel approximately half its level of said wheel, means for removing said tobacco stream from said Wheel, and means for converting said stream into a continuous tobacco rod while the stream moves lengthwise.

5. A combination according to claim 4, in which said forming wheel comprises of spaced parallel circular discs and an annular perforated member positioned between and spaced inwardly from the outer peripheries of said discs to form a peripheral groove which receives the tobacco stream from said conveyor means, said forming wheel having a stationary suction chamber and a stationary compressed air chamber both located within said.

perforated member and extending along predetermined circumferential portions of said wheel so that suction is operative on the tobacco stream from the point where the tobacco stream enters said groove and that compressed air is operative on the tobacco stream at the point where the stream leaves said groove.

6. A combination according to claim 5, wherein said forming wheel comprises stationary radially disposed members between said suction chamber and said compressed air chamber.

7. In an apparatus for forming a tobacco rod, in combination, conveyor means defining an endless path and comprising a first and a second endless belt, said first belt having a lower stretch and an upper stretch, means for feeding tobacco into said path to form an endless layer of tobacco which has an outer portion and an inner portion and travels with said conveyor means, continuously operating means for separating the outer portion of said layer to form a continuous tobacco stream, said means for feeding tobacco into said path comprising a distributor which delivers tobacco onto said upper stretch and said second belt having a portion located beneath said lower stretch to carry the tobacco remaining on the first belt after separation of said outer portion to a point beneath said distributor, and means for converting said stream into a continuous tobacco rod while the stream moves lengthwise.

8. In an apparatus for forming a tobacco rod, in combination, conveyor means defining an endless path and comprising a first and a second endless conveyor belt, said first belt having an upper stretch and a lower stretch and said second belt having a portion located beneath the lower stretch of said first belt, means for feeding tobacco into said path to form an endless layer of tobacco which has an outer portion and an inner portion and travels with said conveyor means, continuously operating means for separating the outer portion of said layer to form a continuous tobacco stream, the upper stretch of said first belt being perimeter to the upper 7 rrranged to advance the tobacco layer to said separating means and the means for feeding tobacco into said path :omprising distributor means arranged to deliver tobacco onto said portion of the second belt, and means for converting said stream into a continuous tobacco rod while the stream moves lengthwise.

9. In a tobacco rod forming machine, in combination, a. first conveyor arranged to deliver a continuous supply of tobacco; a second conveyor arranged to receive tobacco Erom said first conveyor and defining an elongated path wherein the tobacco received from said first conveyor forms a stream which moves lengthwise and which contains tobacco in excess of that required in the tobacco rod; timming means adjacent to said elongated path for removing excess tobacco from said stream; and a third conveyor arranged to receive and to advance the trimmed stream lengthwise from said second conveyor to a rod forming station, said second conveyor being a forming wheel having a circumferentially extending suction groove in which the tobacco stream travels between said first and third conveyors.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,808,795 6/1931 Stelzer 13184 2,660,178 11/1953 Rault 13184 2,932,300 4/1960 Dearsley 131-110 2,938,521 5/1960 Lanore 131-21 3,026,878 3/1962 Eissmann 131-110 X 3,030,966 4/1962 Lanore 131110 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,098,119 3/1955 France.

240,574 11/1911 Germany.

255,193 12/ 1912 Germany.

900,182 12/1953 Germany.

286,421 3/1928' Great Britain.

460,392 1/1937 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. ABRAHAM G. STONE, JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiners. 

1. IN A TOBACCO ROD FORMING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION A FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS ARRANGED TO DELIVER A CONTINUOUS SUPPLY OF TOBACCO; A SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING SUCTION MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH ARRANGED TO RECEIVE TOBACCO FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS AND DEFINING AN ELONGATED PATH WHEREIN THE TOBACCO RECEIVED FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS FORMS A STREAM WHICH MOVES LENGTHWISE AND WHICH CONTAINS TOBACCO IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED IN THE TOBACCO ROD; TRIMMING MEANS ADJACENT TO SAID ELONGATED PATH FOR REMOVING EXCESS TOBACCO FROM SAID STREAM SO AS TO FORM A FILLER ROD; MEANS FOR MECHANICALLY COMPACTING THE TOBACCO STREAM ON SAID SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS; AND A THIRD CONVEYOR MEANS ARRANGED TO RECEIVE SAID FILLER ROD AND TO MAINTAIN IT IN SAID ROD FORM AND TO ADVANCE IT LENGTHWISE FROM SAID SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS TO A ROD FORMING STATION. 